Texifornia

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

So, this Christmas I had planned to take our kids on a day trip to the mountains to play in the snow....but there was no snow in nearby mountains, so we did some things closer to home in stead.

My favorite was visiting the Seals at Children's Pool right here in San Diego (no pool...it's just a beach that's called that where seals come when they are pupping).

Here's some pics we got while we were down there....

Yes, yes that is a football next to that seal...

And here's a video of all the cute stuff we caught the seals doing...
(with commentary by my three boys)

These seals are Pacific Harbor Seals. They are just one of the many seals and sea lions that can be found in California (as a kid when I was living on the boat I remember the sea lions always used to hang out on the bouys) .

So, some of my argued with me over whether these were sea lions or seals. Well, if you've ever wondered how to tell seals from sea-lions, there's a good guide here: How to Tell Sea Lions from Seals.

So, my oldest son also took this pic of a seagull. He hasn't been in California long enough for sea-gulls to be no big deal. Though it came out nice.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

That picture (and the humor) was from a friend of mine in Houston...not from me, cause as you know if you read my last post, I'm not in Texas anymore.And NOW it decides to snow.

You remember around 2008 - 2011 or so Texas got some
pretty good snow? (And, for any northerners dropping by, by "pretty good" I mean enough snow to scrape a snowman off your
yard if you try really, really hard).

Well, you may not but my kids sure do...and EVERY SINGLE YEAR SINCE any time the temperature would drop, they would look to the sky for white stuff, and get mad when none would come.

So
now I'm in a place with mountains in short driving distance...but even
the mountains aren't getting snow (least not any that sticks long enough for us to get there.) Meanwhile, TEXAS is having tons of it (and
by tons, I mean...ah, well, um....SOME). It's like the state is blowing snowy
zerberts at us!

Thursday, January 11, 2018

So, I'm back in California now....and not just for a Vacation! This summer we packed up and moved to San Diego, my hubby's hometown, thanks to a new job.

I can not tell you how good it feels to be back. When my husband, who came earlier than us, picked us up at the airport and we got in the car and drove through the city with all the palm trees, stucco buildings, murals, HILLS, marinas, etc....I just wanted to scream for joy. I was HOME!

Don't get me wrong...I had grown to love where I lived, and I still dearly miss so many of the people there. So many people who had become like family. But the place itself, the geography, weather, etc.....it's never felt like home the way California does.

I'm even sleeping better. The whole time I've been in Texas I've struggled with insomnia (and in summer, when I can go to bed when I want, a creeping sleep schedule). I haven't had that trouble since I came back.

So, anyways, I'll be writing more soon about how I'm seeing California now after being away so long, and fun outings we've been doing, etc....but I just wanted to let you all know I'm back.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Check out this fun Texas Christmas Collection (you can see just a little bit of it below) by various Zazzle artists. On Cyber Monday use coupon code CYBERMONRTRN for 70% off cards and invitations, 50% off gift tags and labels, 40% off ornaments, and 20% off stockings!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

I love "fall" in Texas. It really is sort of like spring. I saw SO MANY BUTTERFLIES on
our lantana bush this week (the one nature planted outside our front door several
summers ago). Here's my son trying to lure one on to onto a flower we
cut. That one didn't take his bait, but another did...a little brown
jet like butterfly I didn't get a picture of, which I think was a Little Glassywing.

There
were 6 types of butterflies that came to visit all on one day (the ones shown here and also a Monarch, a little Yellow Butterfly, and lots if Little Glassywings). I had never seen
some of them before, but with the help of some online friends we found the names
for most of them...

Tawny Emperor

These brown butterflies are a frequent visitor to my yard.

Gulf Fritillary

This is Gulf Fritillary...a male one,
to be specific (the people in my local garden forum are
amazing...that's the only reason I know this). These have been in my
garden many times before, but I just now learned their names. Isn't
"Fritillary" the best name for a butterfly? Sounds positively
Victorian.

Giant Swallowtail

The
caterpillars from these beauties LOVE my dill and parsley, and are
just as fascinating to watch as they are in butterfly form.

Pipvine Swallowtail

But
this blue/black stunner stole the show. What a beauty! She was
always in motion so it was hard to get a good picture of her, though I
sure tried. And every time she moved she shimmered! I had never seen
this type before, but several have visited since.

Here's
a picture of her in flight. I didn't realize when I took the picture
that this butterfly nearly became dinner. Can you find the giant green
spider in this picture?

No? Keep scrolling...

Still have trouble seeing it? Keep scrolling...but warning, it's creepier up close. If you do not like spiders you will want to skip this (there's no more butterfly pics).

This
is a Green Lynx Spider, sitting on it's egg sack, which looks pretty
close to hatching (you can see all the little spiderlings). The mother, like the other one I've seen, was over an inch long.